Chapter 2397: Europe One
"I feel that the atmosphere of today's meeting is not bad." Sitting in the well-decorated conference room, Buhler carefully observed the surrounding nobles. The most honorable position is naturally reserved for Crown Prince Ruprecht. As long as the Kaiser or King Ludwig III of Bavaria is not present, Crown Prince Ruprecht is definitely the most honorable. Next to him is Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg. On the other side is Prince Albert.
Crown Prince Christian of Saxony and Prince Baden sat opposite each other, but in terms of position, the Crown Prince of Saxony was more honorable. My own position is a little bit off, and I don't have a sense of presence. But Buhler wasn't angry, on the contrary, he was a little relaxed. After all, these people in front of him were either holding important powers now, or they were about to hold important powers. In terms of birth, there is one heaven and one earth. As an outlier in this salon, it's better not to be too eye-catching!
However, to Buhler's surprise, the atmosphere in this salon is not bad, at least there is no cynicism or eye drops as imagined. Looking at their respective preparations, they are indeed here to discuss things. There are a lot of information files, and the drinks provided in the salon are also non-alcoholic, which is really rare for German noble salons.
In fact, this situation is quite normal. This is the first time that Prince Albert and Prince Baden have made important decisions. Although they have done a lot of things before, for example, Prince Albert was in charge of liaison with Bavaria. , while the Prince of Baden was in charge of logistics during the war. But after all, they are only executors or liaison officers, and have never been policy makers. The Prince of Baden will become the Grand Duke of Baden in the future, and Prince Albert will at least become the Regent or Prime Minister of Kaiser Prussia in the future. of. Therefore, it is very important to be able to leave a good impression on other high-level officials this time.
And what about Duke Albrecht? For him, a powerful duke in the kingdom and for him who has experienced the baptism of war, such a salon is not so important, and he will get used to it after more experience. Everything will be fine. And because he also fought on the Western Front, the Duke is not disgusted with Buhler, and since he was invited by Crown Prince Ruprecht, the Duke should give him some kindness.
As for Crown Prince Christian, to be honest, staying with such a group of people is also a very uncomfortable thing for a crown prince who is only 20 years old and has just entered the political arena. Everyone inside is not simple. I am young and young, besides calling 666, it is difficult to have some ideas of my own! To be honest, at his age, he has not yet graduated from university! Even Prince Albert, the youngest among others, is over 30!
"Today, the things we discuss are very formal and important, but the way we discuss them is relaxed. As newcomers on the German political arena in the future, you always have to go through a process from immaturity to maturity, so let this process Start today," Ruprecht said. Of course, these words were mainly addressed to people other than himself and Duke Albrecht. Although the Prince of Baden is very old, his experience is limited. Little diplomatic experience. The rest are even more so. It is also the first time to formulate something similar to a national strategy!
"Prince Albert, as the host, you come first?" Ruprecht said to Prince Albert. After all, this meeting was initiated by the prince in name. Although Ruprecht presided over it, it would be better for Albert to speak for the first speech, and the latter also looked eager to try.
"In this unprecedented war, most of the important countries in Europe were involved in the war, and the end of the war meant that the relationship between countries was repositioned. As the victors, Germany and Austria shared the hegemony of Europe ,
Britain is the loser, licking its wounds in a corner. The French are still hesitant, considering whether to reconcile with us. Russia, on the other hand, was the undying enemy of the Empire. In the future, we will also meet each other on the battlefield. But throughout Europe, there is another relatively powerful country that has been ignored, and this country is one of the former members of the Allies-Italy. "
"I have been thinking about a question, why did Italy abandon the covenant and choose neutrality? What is Italy's status in terms of Germany's return? Have we made mistakes in our foreign policy towards Italy? In the future, what is the relationship between the Empire and Italy? How should it be?" said Prince Albert.
"Although, the Russians once commented on the Italians, saying that calling Italy a powerful country is purely diplomatic etiquette. And Prime Minister Bismarck once said that the Italians' desire for colonies is like a hungry man seeing bread, but there is no expression. Good teeth. And Italy’s defeat in Ethiopia in the 1990s seems to illustrate this problem. But I think, as a new country with a very important strategic location, Italy is still a very important part of the empire! "After Prince Albert finished speaking, he looked specifically at the reaction of Ruprecht, who was sitting in the upright seat. After seeing that the other party did not express anything, he was slightly relieved.
Because he knows that the crown prince has never had a good impression of Italy. Although the original Bavarian Naval Design Bureau was supported by an Italian. In his opinion, the upright Crown Prince is very dissatisfied with Italy's capriciousness and excessive greed. Even a non-declared military confrontation broke out between the two sides. When Italy was preparing to conspire against Libya, under the impetus of the crown prince, the German Empire stood firmly on the side of Turkey, which made Italy's second military expansion fall short. The result, of course, was the absolute loyalty of the Ottoman Turks and the hostility of the Italians.
If it is in public, let alone Prince Albert, even someone at the level of the Grand Duke of Baden must not easily question Ruprecht's previous decision. Because after all, the Turkish Empire played a certain role in this war. With this example first, the question of the choice between Italy and Turkey can only be a mouthful! And this kind of talk can easily make the crown prince think that it is politically aimed at him, and if this step is reached, then the two parties may have to turn against each other.
However, today is a private occasion, and before the meeting, Prince Albert asked Ruprecht in an indirect way if he would mind discussing this issue, and after the latter agreed, Prince Albert's article finally came out.
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